EUROPEAN sponsors will have cast an envious eye at recent events on the USPGA Tour, where Tiger Woods has been smashing attendance records wherever he plays. Those interested in luring the astonishing 21 year old to this side of the Atlantic, however, would be faced with an unprecedented appearance fee of $500,000.
That is the figure Woods is reported to be receiving for this week's appearance in Bangkok, Thailand, the native country of his mother, Kultida. It will be his first involvement in an Asian tournament and, as an additional expression of their gratitude, the hosts are to honour him with Thai citizenship.
All of which is some way removed from life on the European Tour, even allowing for the novelty of changing continents. As it happens, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley have opted out of the South African Open, which starts in Johannesburg on Thursday. But Ireland will have seven representatives in the field: Padraig Harrington, Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth, Ronan Rafferty, John McHenry, David Higgins and Raymond Burns.
This is especially good news for Higgins, who didn't expect to make the field. After finishing in a tie for 37th in the Heineken Classic in Perth last Sunday, the Waterville player had resigned himself to a week's practice in Johannesburg before staying on for next week's Dimension Data Tournament at Sun City.
Clarke and McGinley will be travelling for that event, but they don't intend to compete in the Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship a week later. Apparently, the prospect of a £300,000 event in Johannesburg is unappealing, so instead, they will visit a game farm before flying on to the Desert Classic, starting in Dubai on February 27th.
Colin Montgomerie, the defending champion, will be joining them there. The world number three returned home from Australia yesterday complaining of recurring problems with a stomach bug, picked up in Asia last November. "Antibiotics aren't working and I plan to attend a clinic once I'm home," he said.
The Scot, who has split with his coach Bill Ferguson, is also seeking a solution to current putting problems before Dubai. "I plan to go back to my old routine of holing 100 three foot putts every day," he said. "That gives me confidence. But I'll first have to join a club. I don't belong to one near home at the moment."
Meanwhile, it is impossible to escape the appeal of Woods and his stunning exploits. In attempting to overhaul the leader, Mark O'Mera, in the Pebble Beach Pro Am last Sunday, he birdied the 16th an 17th and then reached the long 18th in two, after a stunning, three wood second shot of 267 yards into the wind.
"Didn't you consider the big blue thing out there to your left?" inquired CBS commentator David Feherty, referring to the Pacific Ocean. The Ulsterman would have been acutely aware of its magnetic power, having hit his drive into a watery grave when he needed a par finish to make the cut in the 1992 US Open.
Woods simply smiled before saying: "It was a little too late but I needed to put some heat on him."
For his part, O'Meara gained the distinction of becoming the first professional to take on the youngster effectively head to head and win. "Tiger is obviously a heck of a player, but I think I showed that I'm not too bad myself at 40," said O'Meara.
The victory lifted O'Meara to the top of the US money list and second in the US Ryder Cup standings, virtually assuring him of a place in the team for Valderrama next September.
Predictably, Woods is second in the money list with earnings of $403,450 from three tournaments - an average haul of $134,483 per tournament. It is not easy to reduce the hugely wealthy movie actor/director, Kevin Costner, to the role of sycophant, but he was more than happy to fill that role while his partner carded 127 (63, 64) for the last 36 holes.
Meanwhile, movie buffs may also be interested to learn that the pro am prize was won on 43 under par by the partnership of Paul Stankowski and 18 handicapper Andy Garcia. The average handicap, incidentally, of the amateur qualifiers was 12.
